Sticks and Stones
by Illuminati
Summary: The year is 1970. The Class of '77 is entering Hogwarts for their first year, and Albus Dumbledore has just been named the new Headmaster. However, in the darkened corners and alleys of Wizarding Europe, a new darkness is rising.
1. Chapter 1

Book 1 Sticks & Stones 

Chapter 1 - Lily

When the knock at the door came, Violet Evans was washing the dishes. Dinner had been over at the Evans house for nearly an hour, but the light, pleasant sounds of her daughter's voices mixed with the music from the radio in the living room had lulled her into daydreams. Startled by the knock, Violet wiped her hands on a dish towel hanging to the right of the sink, and made her way into the living room. Her daughters continued to chatter and giggle, seemingly without noticing her as she passed through the room. She opened the door to reveal a tall man.

"Ah, you must be Violet," the man, who had a long beard and bright blue eyes that sparkled behind half-moon spectacles, said, extending his hand toward Violet. He was wearing a long, blue robe, and Violet, who was too stunned to offer her hand, merely stared. "Is the man of the house at home?"

"I… Er, yes. Yes, he is," Violet managed. Her daughters had gone silent and she could feel their eyes on her back, knowing they were trying to get a look at the stranger at the door. Paul McCartney was still crooning on the radio about, "The Long and Winding Road," but their chatter was gone. It was too late to slam the door quietly in this weird man's face, erasing him from their lives forever. He had been noticed.

"I need to speak with him. With both of you, really," Dumbledore said, stepping into the living room. "Yes, I do believe I will come in." She hadn't invited him in, but it was clear that he intended to come in anyway, whether she liked it or not, so she said nothing. And with that, the odd little man named Dumbledore stepped into the Evans home for the first time.

"I'll go get my husband," Violet said, easing toward the stairs. She looked at her daughters – pretty redheaded Lily who had turned eleven only a week ago, and Petunia, her sensible, blonde thirteen year old - regretting immediately that she would have to leave them alone with this strange man for even a second. She managed to make her way up the stairs without falling, relying heavily on the cherry banister to keep her afloat, and when she was sure she was out of sight, broke into a run down the hallway.

She nearly slammed into the door of her husband's office. Samuel Evans worked at one of the most successful advertising firms in Essex. He worked nearly all the time – when he wasn't at the company building, he holed himself up in his office at home - and hated to be interrupted when in the middle of a project. However, Violet was scared and she knew that she had to get Sam to come downstairs, at the very least so that he could protect the girls from possible harm. She knew that she could be heard easily in the living room, so she tired to control her voice as best as possible, though her usual soft, mellow tone was shaky. "There's a man at the door asking for you."

"Tell him I'm busy," the voice from behind the door said, loud and unconcerned.

Violet opened the door, and attempted to close it as lightly as she possibly could. Samuel didn't even look up until Violet hissed, "Sam, you_ have_ to come downstairs. This man…he's…he's got a beard that goes down to his waist! He's wearing a robe, Sam! A_ robe_!"

"A robe, did you say?" Samuel, who expected that his wife had lost her mind, looked up from his papers. Violet's high cheekbones were paler than usual, and though that wasn't exactly hugely alarming to him, he pushed himself to standing and followed her to the doorway.

"Sam, I'm scared. Honestly," Violet whispered as she opened the office door. "He's downstairs, _alone with the girls_."

Violet froze on the stairwell, watching in horror as the bearded man who had called himself Albus offered her youngest daughter what appeared to be a lemon drop. Lily, who had sat through thousands of presentations on not taking things from strangers in her eleven years on earth, was reaching for the piece of candy, her delicate hand extended toward the bony fingers of this old man, nearly touching him.

"Lillian," Samuel said, his voice a warning. Lily jerked her hand away as if burned, turning to look guiltily up at her father on the stairwell. Samuel placed an arm around his nearly paralyzed wife and aided her down the rest of the stairs. He snapped the radio off while making his way across the living room, silencing the BeeGees. Outside, evening was rushing head-on into night, as the lamps that lined the street of the Evans' well-to-do neighborhood in Essex turned themselves on.

Samuel shook hands with Dumbledore. "My name is Samuel Evans. This is my wife, Violet, and our daughters, Petunia and Lillian."

"Albus Dumbledore."

"Pleased to meet you," Samuel said, mostly to continue the conversation. "You wanted to speak to me and my wife?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Indeed."

"Right, then. Girls, off to your rooms," Samuel said firmly, taking a seat on the couch. Lily and Petunia glanced at each other, and began the typical whining that always followed their father's orders concerning their imprisonment in their rooms.

"Actually, as what I have to say concerns Lily, I'd rather she'd stay," Dumbledore said. Still sitting on the floor, Lily's green eyes widened. Violet, who had just entered the room from a trip to the kitchen to fetch a tin of chocolate biscuits for her guest, glanced worriedly at Samuel. Samuel's eyes, however, were glued exclusively to Dumbledore.

"Fine. Petunia, go ahead. I'll be up to check on you later," Samuel said.

Petunia went to the couch to kiss both her mother and father. Then, she cast one last well-timed look toward Lily before heading up the stairs. Lily knew that Petunia wasn't going to bed, however. Petunia, who never missed a chance to eavesdrop, knew exactly where to hide to listen to any conversation.

"I want to begin by saying that I am here to deliver good news," Dumbledore said, selecting a chocolate biscuit from the tin and examining it carefully. "Your daughter, Lillian, is a very gifted young woman."

"We like to think so," Violet said.

Lily nodded, a smile on her face. "I get very high marks in school."

"Hush, Lillian," Samuel demanded.

Dumbledore merely chuckled. "There is no question that she is highly talented, destined for very great things. Greater than you could know or fathom. You see, Lily, you are a witch."

Lily's mouth arranged itself in a small 'o', and her green eyes scanned Dumbledore's face excitedly. She seemed to want to say something, but before she could muster the nerve...

"Excuse me?" Violet asked, flabbergasted. The color that had returned to her high cheek bones in the last ten minutes was rushing out again.

Samuel Evans put an arm around his wife and pulled her close. "Mr. Dumbledore, you do not know my wife, and you certainly do not know my daughter. We are decent, normal people. My wife is a home maker and I have a high-paying job. Our daughters attend the best school in the county, and we go to church every Sunday..."

Dumbledore smiled. "That has nothing to do with your daughter or her abilities. Lily was born with this talent, this power. It is something instilled in her genetically. Something to do with recessive genes, all that rot. I am sure a man as educated as yourself understands genetics, so I won't explain it. In any case, I am not here to insult you. I am here to address what Lily can do to learn and control her powers."

"Lily has no powers!"

"Nonsense, and you and I both know it." Dumbledore turned to Lily, making it clear that from now on, he was addressing her. "Have you ever made something happen when you were tired or angry?"

"Once or twice, I guess," Lily mused, tilting her head to the side. Her green eyes lit up with thought. "I remember once when I was about six, Mum took Petunia and I to my Great Aunt Mildred. We had to dress in these ridiculous frilly dresses. Mine was pink, I think. It looked horrid" Her distaste for the dress, five years later, was still evident. "I hated it. But I was expected to sit through this boring tea, and be polite and smile. I kept wishing that there'd be mice in the bread pudding dish when Aunt Mildred lifted the lid, and sure enough, there were. A whole hoard of them"

From the couch, Violet moaned. "I'll never forget it. A whole dish crawling with mice. I can still hear the screams…"

Dumbledore nodded. "You were put on the list for admittance to Hogwarts shortly after your birth, Lily. We do not make mistakes."

"Hogwarts?"

"The oldest and most highly regarded magical school in the world," Dumbledore said. "Lily is invited to start school there in September." Dumbledore pulled an envelope from his robes and presented it to Samuel. "Her room, board, and food will be paid for, and she will be admitted until she comes of age at seventeen."

"I'm sorry, but I cannot send my daughter to a school where she will learn to pull rabbits from top hats. Lillian is expected to go to an excellent secondary school, and will later attend university," Samuel said, handing Violet the letter absently.

"She will get a much more practical education at Hogwarts than she could at any Muggle school."

"Muggle!"

"Non-magical people, that is."

Violet ripped the envelope open, reading the words over and over. A second sheet of parchment fell in her lap, and she picked it up. "What this, then?"

"A list of necessary school supplies for Lily's first year at Hogwarts. She can get everything she needs at Diagon Alley in Wizarding London. I will be back on August 27th to take her to Diagon Alley to purchase all of the things she needs."

"August 27th?" Lily asked. "That's so far away!"

"Not that far away when you consider it, Lily. By then, I will have your ticket ready for the Hogwarts Express. You'll have to excuse me; I've been here much too long! Must be going now…" And then, right before all of their eyes - with a loud crack! – Albus Dumbledore was gone.

Samuel and Violet Evans did not discuss the events on the night that Dumbledore visited their home again. Despite the reality of the night, both Sam and Violet believed that they hadmade the entire thing up inside of their respective heads, and would not mention a word about magic schools or witches to one another in fear that they were crazy. Lily Evans, however, was carefully counting the days as July turned to August.


	2. Chapter 2

Sticks & Stones Chapter 2 - James 

Abigail Potter adored shopping in all of its shapes and forms; she loved the uniformed rows created by the shelves in Flourish & Blotts, adored the stacks and stacks of fabric on display in Madam Malkin's, and could spend all day in any apothecary, delighting in the tidiness and sharp organization of the potion's supplies. She seized any and every opportunity to shop with both hands, and loved taking her children along to show them off whenever she got the chance.

Her son, however, felt much the opposite about shopping. James Potter hated shopping with a great and fiery passion, at least when he had to go with his mother. It was not that he didn't love his mother - he did love his mother quite a bit, in fact – but her love of shopping and her attention to every detail tired him. Also, it was only three days before James's first day at Hogwarts, and today, the 27th of August, was the perfect day for swimming. Instead, he was spending the day in Diagon Alley with his mother, shopping for school supplies. He didn't see why he needed brand new things; James's older sister, Amelia, still had a perfectly good cauldron and books, and even though his older brother, Harry, was quite a bit taller than him, altering robes was no big deal. He could even borrow one of his families' eagle owls to use for post. The only thing James needed was a wand. His mother knew this, and had purposefully saved it for last.

"Now… James." Abby snapped her fingers absentmindedly to gain the attention of her hyperactive son. "James, this is a very important moment in your life. We're about to purchase your wand," Abby Potter explained, practically dragging her scrawny son toward the door of Ollivander's Wand Shop. "Now that you're going to be attending Hogwarts, you'll need one. It's extremely important that you take care of it. Your father and I only expect to have to buy you one, you hear? One wand is supposed to last a wizard a lifetime. Harry and Amelia have had no problem with that, and we expect that you won't either. You wouldn't want to disappoint us, would you?"

James shook his head, looking up at his mother admiringly. Abby smiled at her son, satisfied that she had gotten the point across. Her smile pleased James immensely, but it was only momentary happiness. It was time to focus his full concentration on the task ahead. All of his life, he had been struggling to keep from disappointing his parents. He wanted desperately to please them, especially his father, Ben Potter, who was his ultimate hero. James understood that the only way to do this was by careful concentration and steely discipline when around his parent's. There was a time for mischief, and James knew instinctively that wasn't the time one spent with one's parents.

Just as his mother opened the door to Ollivander's, a hanging pot of red geraniums crashed to the ground at their feet. There was a strained sort of yelp and, when James looked up from the mix of soil and broken clay on the threshold of the shop, he saw a tall, blonde woman wearing decidedly Muggle clothing. Standing near the blonde woman, holding a wand loosely by the fingers of her right hand, was a young girl with bright red hair.

"Oh no! Sir, I'm so sorry," the redhead girl exclaimed, looking almost as mortified as the tall, blonde woman. "I'll help you clean it up...I promise!"

Ollivander merely chuckled before moving again toward the shelves lined neatly with perfectly labeled boxes. "Not to worry, my dear. We'll attend to it after we find your wand."

"Abigail," Dumbledore, who was sitting atop a small stool in a corner, said, his usually cheerful face becoming – if possible – even more cheerful. "How good to see you." He nodded toward James, his blue eyes sparkling. "Ah, James, I do hope you've had a lovely holiday. Care for a lemon drop?"

James took the offered candy. Albus Dumbledore was no stranger to him. In fact, Albus Dumbledore was a frequent dinner guest of his parents. James also owned approximately one hundred and fifty six chocolate frog cards that featured the famous wizard.

"What brings you to Diagon Alley, Albus?" Abigail inquired, her eyes darting with pointing interest from the Muggle woman and the redhead girl, who was obviously the Muggle woman's daughter.

"Just introducing some new faces to the Alley," Dumbledore explained. "This is Violet Evans, and her daughter, Lillian."

Abigail crossed the room, avoiding the spilt geraniums and potting soil with a learned sort of grace, approaching the blonde woman with a smile on her face. She extended her hand. "I'm, of course, Abigail Potter, as Dumbledore already said," Abigail said. "And this is my son, James. Viola! What a lovely name. I had a cousin named Viola…she was eaten by a rather large snake about five years ago. Quite a nasty business, that…"

"V-Violet. My name's Violet," the Muggle woman ventured. Though she shot a nervous glance at her daughter, Violet managed to shake Abigail's hand.

"Violet, then," Abby said. "Your daughter is going to be a first year?"

"Yes," Violet said. "She's set on going to the school…"

"My James's is a new Hogwarts student as well," Abby said. "He's my last at Hogwarts, my husband and I are very excited…"

"My husband and I aren't so sure. Lily was already enrolled at a fine school that her sister has attended for two years now," Violet said. "We want her to have the best possible education."

"Oh! Hogwarts is a very good school! It's the finest magical school the world…"

James was barely listening at this point. He was busy studying the redheaded girl with interest. This troubled him a little, but not enough to cause him to shift his eyes away. He had always gotten along with Beatrice Rockwood, and had even caught fireflies once with Caroline Casteel, but he had never taken the time to look at Beatrice or Caroline the way he was looking at this redhead, Lillian or whoever. She was tall for a girl, especially one of eleven. Her hair fell simply to her shoulders, without ornament or curl, but the wonder of it was that it was a bright, triumphant red. Her clothing was unabashedly, Muggle; her skirt and jumper were definitely not the sort of thing you saw in Wizarding London. Despite looking monstrously out of place, there was no way around it; she was obviously special and James liked her already. In fact, he found himself hoping against hope that she would end up in Gryffindor, just as he knew he was destined to do.

"Let's try this one," Ollivander said. "Nine and a half inches long, oak, dragon's heartstrings."

Lily took the wand and warily tapped it on the counter next to her. Several books that had been resting on the counter before now flew violently through the air. Violet Evans shrieked and made a run for the door. Dumbledore, however, intercepted her before she could leave.

"That's all right, Miss. Evans," Dumbledore said.

Ollivander pulled his own wand seemingly out of nowhere and shouted, "Imobilus!" The books dropped immediately to the floor with a loud thud.

"I don't think this is working out, sir," Lily said, shaking her head.

"Why, this is what it's all about! The wand chooses the witch, Lily," Ollivander said, momentarily disappearing behind the shelves. "Ten and a quarter inches long, made of willow, unicorn tail hair," Ollivander said, presenting the next wand to Lily, who looked a bit doubtful. "Come along, now. Don't be afraid of it. It won't bite."

Lily took the wand from Ollivander. She shot a glance at Violet, who nodded despite the fact she was obviously uncomfortable. Lily sighed and, after squinching her eyes closed, flicked the wand. A bright strand of rose and gold sparks emitted from the end of the wand, lighting up the entire shop and all six inhabitants momentarily.

"Looks like that's the one, then," Ollivander said. "Quite swishy. Perfect for a young witch with a talent for Charms work."

Dumbledore helped Violet and Lily choose the proper number of Wizarding coins – converted earlier in the day from Muggle money into the needed Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts at Gringotts – to purchase the wand.

"Hopefully, you two will be seeing more of each other at Hogwarts," Dumbledore said, looking from James to Lily. "James here already knows quite a few of your classmates. Perhaps he can introduce you?

"Yes," Lily said, "I'd like that. I don't really know anyone."

"I'll introduce you to everyone!" James exclaimed, already excited by even the slightest promise of seeing more of her. This was a new and strange feeling for James, but somehow, he liked it.

"Right, then," Lily smiled, backing away from him. "I'll find you on the train, all right?"

He watched her and her mother go, led out the door of Ollivander's by Dumbledore, with bags of school supplies in tow. He didn't know it at the time, but it would be the first of one of the many times that James Potter watched Lily Evans walk out of his life.


End file.
